Double Duty
by PrescitedEntity
Summary: PRDT Xover with Animorphs Their school shut down for the year, four sophomores are shuffled to Reefside High. When they are given detention, troubles are compounded, ethics and interests clash, and all devolves to mayhem as a threesided war develops.
1. The Stones

Notes: Animorphs AU (book, not TV) at some point past the David arc, probably at least after _The Separation_, set in PRDT (and obviously AUing the whole thing). Why the crossover? Because Animorphs is a hell of a lot deeper now that I'm rereading it as a teenager, and PR lacks that depth.

Short summary of Animorphs – five self-described "idiot teenagers with a death wish" are given the ability to turn into animals by an alien (Andalites) to hold back an invasion of other parasitic aliens (Yeerks) that are infiltrating the Earth by controlling humans, making humans their hosts, at least until the Andalites return. Said aliens get to the human's brain and dominates it, needing to leave every three days to feed in a Yeerk pool, bathing in Kandrona rays, lest they starve. One teenager – Tobias – traps himself in the morph of a red-tailed hawk, and they are later joined by a single, young Andalite,Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill (Ax). Other details will be added as necessary, and feel free to ask.

Unfortunately, the site forces me to use "-- --" to denote thoughtspeak (how Animorphs communicate in morph, and how Ax does, usually).

**The Stones**

"So this is our high school." Marco said, shifting the strap of his backpack on his shoulder. A massive and potentially health-hazardous mold infestation had shut down the school they'd been meant to attend for the year, so the school boards of various nearby districts took up the slack, shuffling this particular bunch of teens to a school thirty-some minutes from their homes. "So this is Reefside High."

"Disappointed by the chicks here, Marco?" Rachel sardonically asked, giving him a light shove.

"Nah, they're not bad-looking."

"Too bad for you – there go your chances." Electric sparks jumped between their locked eyes.

"We've been here for all of one minute, and you're already arguing?" Jake sighed, shaking his head in exasperation. In a much lower, conspiratorial voice, he continued, "Everyone know the plan?" Three heads nodded their affirmation. When the bell rang, they were still in the school – just not in class.

* * *

"Well, that was a bust." 

"Disappointed by the lack of Yeerk ass to kick, Rachel?" Marco asked, echoing Rachel's earlier sarcasm. This time, Jake had the prescience to hold up his hand to silence his Rachel, his cousin's mouth opening for a retort; the latter shot a glower at the smarmy Hispanic boy who she so often bantered with.

--That was a little anti-climactic, though. Could someone open a door? Ax and I kinda need to get out and demorph, -- Tobias thoughtspoke, flying an erratic pattern around Jake's head.

"You know, doing that just makes me instinctively want to swat you," Jake remarked, walking towards the side door and opening it. Two flies vacated the building as a woman strode up to them.

"Skipping class?" she inquired with the lazy tone of a tiger, prey cornered. The woman introduced herself as none other than Principal Randall, and gesturing to the now ringing bell, followed up with, "Or rather, skipped class." Students poured out of their classrooms.

"Um-"

"I don't know if that's allowable in your old district, but here, we're somewhat less lenient," the principal icily stated, then waved over a teacher – a rather young one with odd spiky hair, the teens noticed – and addressed him. "Dr. Oliver, I've got a few more delinquents for you to take care of this afternoon."

"What? You can't be serious – those three are already–"

"Can't we have double detention some other day?" Jake suddenly cut in, the look of oddly serious concern on his face mirrored by the group. "We've got pressing obligations." _In this case, scouting and __surveillance_, he thought to himself.

"Well, maybe you'll think of that next time before you choose to break school rules, Mr...?"

"Berenson."

"Berenson," she repeated, his name sounding like that of a toxic chemical coming from her mouth. "You four are spending detention today, and with Dr. Oliver," she continued, shooting the teacher a grave look before walking off.

"Great. Just great," Dr. Oliver muttered, then turned to the teens and asked, "What's your next class?"

"We all have the same schedule – Integrated Science I," Cassie mumbled softly, eyes downcast, having taken out her schedule, "With, ah, you, Dr. Oliver."

A general sigh went around.

* * *

The rest of the day flew by uneventfully, and detention rolled around all too soon. Having too many people to accommodate in one car, the other three detention-bound kids took their cars instead; comprised of an arrogant, popular jock, a fringe indie singer, and a self-absorbed computer geek, they were most incongruous bunch of seniors Jake'd ever seen. He, Cassie, Rachel, and Marco, in the meantime, piled into Dr. Oliver's jeep. A wordless car ride followed, with a red-tailed hawk hovering overhead. 

Arriving at the museum, Dr. Oliver set them off on their own, telling them to look for fossils and suchlike – if they found one, he'd let them off. This seemingly innocent quest drew controversy among the group of sophomores, even as the Reefside seniors went off on their own way.

"Doesn't that seem a little...suspicious?" Marco asked, eyes narrowed, as soon as the other three were out of hearing range.

"Marco, don't be paranoid." Cassie shivered; no one wanted to think that the underground invasion had gone beyond their hometown.

"He's not being paranoid. He's being sensible," Rachel grimly stated, trying her hardest to ignore her best friend's wounded look. "The guy ditched a bunch of teenagers in front of a closed museum. Teenagers that are supposed to be in detention."

--I think we need to run surveillance on him, Tobias said, landing on a nearby tree. There's no one around, so no problem morphing. I'd go, but I'm scouting the area until further notice.-- Two fierce hawk eyes stared pointedly at Jake.

"We need you at that, Tobias. Rachel?"

"Gotcha." With that, she concentrated on the fly, her lips melding together and extending, forming a proboscis as she rapidly shrank, flesh-colored wings sprouting from her back.

--Ready to go at your command, fearless leader,-- Rachel said, buzzing. Jake eye-rolled, then nodded.

--Hop on – I'll drop you near him. -- The red-tailed hawk descended, allowing the housefly to rest on his head; the others watched as the two left.

"We need to take a look around," Jake stated after a moment, heading into the woods, "With the museum closed, he's not around for no reason."

* * *

Tobias circled over the woods. The three teens - he heard the names Conner, Kira, and Ethan – were wandering around it, getting awfully close to where Ax was demorphing and remorphing in compliance with the two hour limit. No way was he about to allow them a glimpse of his blue-furred alien friend. 

"TSEEEEEEEEEEER!" He dived at them, dodging trees with an expertness acquired through a year's constant experience. Chasing them out past the tree line, he mentally sighed with relief, pulling back skyward.

--Thank you, Tobias.-- A harrier joined him in the air, turning to head off in another direction.

--No prob.--

* * *

"Seems like a normal forest to me," Marco grumbled as they trudged around, "I'm tired of seeing so much lumber." 

"Marco!" Cassie exclaimed, "Trees are more than just lumber, you know."

"He's got a point, though," Jake sighed, "There doesn't seem to be anyaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Jake!" Cassie cried. The brunette boy had fallen into what seemed at first sight to be a sinkhole, but revealed itself to be a tunnel – and from the looks of it, one excavated, not natural. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he called up, rising and dusting himself off, "But I think you two need to get down here. We might have been right to worry."

They followed the tunnel in quiet tenseness, hoping that they wouldn't find a Yeerk pool, wouldn't hear the cries of people being enslaved, wouldn't be facing the danger of Hork-Bajir arm-blades and Taxxon mouths, but ready for it as only they could be. What they discovered instead at the end of the passage was not unlike a mad paleontologist's hideout. Fossils dotted the room, but what drew their attention was the raised pedestal, upon which were three dimly glowing stones – one red, one blue, one yellow.

"What are those?" Cassie asked of no one in particular.

"Y'know, weirdness just loves us, doesn't it? Just LOVES us," Marco muttered, at which Jake gave a short, harsh laugh.

"Let's take these back to Ax. It looks like it might be alien technology," Jake asserted after a moment of silence.

"More alien technology – just what we need." The raven-haired boy eye-rolled, but consented, grabbing the blue stone. At the touch, he felt a strange tingliness course through him, unsettling, and gave a small yelp as he jumped backwards.

"What's wrong?" Cassie asked, alarmed – it took a lot to faze them these days.

"T-that felt weird. I don't know if it's a good idea to take these, you guys." His words came too late; Jake and Cassie had already grabbed the remaining stones, red and yellow respectively, each startled by the same feeling. Unsettled, they silently agreed to leave looking around until they could amass the whole group's strength.

Now out of the underground lair, a gale rose, accompanied by a loud growl as the trio turned and faced a gang of non-human beings menacingly approaching them.

"Oh, _crap_," Marco muttered, "Just our luck."

"Can we?" Cassie asked, shooting a wild, panicked look at Jake.

"We can't be sure they're not Controllers, Cassie. Dammit!" he hissed quietly, then exclaimed, "We've gotta run!"

They barreled over the rough terrain with the pursuers drawing ever nearer until Marco stumbled, tripping over an exposed root. Mind blazing, he tried to focus on the gorilla, tried to focus on becoming the gorilla – but found the image of a triceratops asserting itself in his mind. Fuming at himself for such a useless, random thought, he was shocked to find his skin toughening, becoming scale-like as he raised his arms to block the blow aimed at his head. With the same guidance of instinct as any animal morph, he found himself fighting, a whirl of punches and kicks. Soon enough, Cassie joined him, having awakened her own powers in screaming his name, as did Jake, dashing around at speeds unattainable by anything human. It wasn't long before the skirmish ended.

"That was..." Marco gasped, slightly short of breath.

"Weird." Cassie finished, touching a hand to her throat.

"We're freaks of nature that can become animals, Cassie. You're going to have to describe it differently," the black-haired boy commented, smirking faintly.

"We need to confront Dr. Oliver about this. These things–" Jake lifted the red gem – "are definitely not random stones, and I'll bet it's got something to do with him. He'd better explain himself."

"Or what? What if he's a Yeerk?"

Jake paused for a moment, the line of his jaw set grimly. "Well, he'd be in for a long three days."


	2. The Disclosure

A/N: Plot seem okay so far? It's the first plot-heavy fic I've written; I hope what I've got in mind proves decent enough.

A _Sario__ Rip_ is a tear in space-time that can cause things to travel forwards or backwards in time. In _Megamorphs__ #2__: In the Time of the Dinosaurs_, a _Sario__ Rip_ sent the Animorphs back to the late Cretaceous.

**The Disclosure**

Thomas Oliver couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched. He peered around several times, trying to catch the stalker, but saw only rocks, trees, road, and building; even so, the unease remained at he surveyed the museum. Upon seeing the sign with Anton Mercer's name, he muttered something or another. Rachel, struggling to keep pace and stay out of view at once, could only make out vibrations with the fly's senses, resigning to check the sign later. In the meantime, a gust of air blew her along, and her compound eyes found something large – massive – and animate facing her and the teacher she'd been tagging. Couldn't be human or normal animal.

In his distraction, Dr. Oliver didn't notice an insect land on his shoulder. In a split-second decision, the girl-turned-fly chose not to morph something more battle-capable, since whatever it was, it seemed too big to tackle by herself.

--Tobias! Ax!-- she called frantically, weight of the matter setting in.

--Rachel? Tobias is conferring with the others. Is something wrong?-- Ax answered, some distance away.

--There's something here! Something HUGE! I can't tell what it is!--

--Where are you?--

--On the bugged guy – I think we're in his jeep now, because it feels like we're going really fast.--

Ax flew as fast as a harrier could along the road leading to the museum, barely stopping in time to avoid a head-on collision with a giant reptilian monster, wings screaming with pain as they opened, meeting the tearing force of air resistance.

--Aaaaaaaah!-- Executing a turning dive, he narrowly dodged the open mouth, menacing teeth within.

--Ax? Ax?! What is it?-- Rachel demanded.

--It's a reptile of some kind! It looks like what we encountered when we were sent back millions of years in your planet's history!-- came the panicked response.

--A dinosaur? You mean to tell me that it's a FREAKIN' DINOSAUR?-- she screeched back, now bewildered and utterly terrified. The last thing they needed was to deal with another _Sario__ Rip_, and involving a suspicious party in what seemed to be the unchanged present would only make it that much worse.

The Andalite pulled back behind the gargantuan reptile, thankful that it was too preoccupied with the jeep and its occupants to chase him, then shocked as the vehicle drove under a bridge; the dinosaur charged into it, knocking its head off to reveal a mass of circuitry and metal.

--We've slowed down. Why have we slowed DOWN?-- Rachel shrieked, not wanting to find herself demorphing in the monstrosity's mouth.

--Rachel, it's not a dinosaur. It's a mechanical contraption of some kind,-- Ax responded, clearly confused. He circled the fallen robot, not noticing as another bird of prey swooped down in a sharp dive, slamming itself against the unsuspecting Dr. Oliver's neck. The red-tailed hawk fluttered erratically, dazed, before collapsing on the ground.

--Tobias?-- Rachel asked, demorphing and racing over, cradling the fallen raptor, now morphing human, as Ax, hearing Jake's thoughtspoken instructions, checked to make sure that the science teacher was fully unconscious.

* * *

"Ow... Damn..." Tommy muttered, quickly snapping awake as he felt a stinging pain against his throat and drops of warm liquid roll thickly down his neck. The blade nicked into his skin as he spoke; he followed it up to the blue-furred tail of an alien, quadrupedal with a hominid torso, mouthless, with three nostril-slits and four eyes, two mounted on stalks. All four were directed at him. 

--You've been unconscious for quite some time,-- the alien sneered flicking his tail-blade ever so slightly, --Offer information freely, and we might make your death quick, Yeerk.-- The last word dripped with derision and spite. Ax relaxed his tail enough to let the bewildered man speak.

"Yeerk? What the-? How did you talk in my-? Who are you?" Tommy asked, thoughts in disarray. Organizing them to deal with the most pressing danger at hand – the blade against his neck – he continued with a level voice, "I don't know what you're talking about, but I know that I'm not whatever or whomever you're looking for."

--I am Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill, brother of Prince Elfangor. Not willing to talk? I'm afraid you'll have slow death by starvation to look forward to.-- The alien nodded to the heavy chains binding the man to the chair; Tommy noticed that he was in his own underground construct, where he'd planned to conference with the newest set of Rangers. Noting with dismay that the gems were gone, he heaved a sigh; things never did pan out easily, and this looked like it wasn't to be an exception. The alien swiveled the eyes mounted on eyestalks, then left the visible area.

As he proceeded down the tunnel, Ax heard the other Animorphs before they came into view.

"Jake, he was being chased by a mechanical dinosaur. A mechanical dinosaur! How does that show he's a Controller?"

--He's got technology way beyond what normal people should have. If he's not a Controller, he's some other kind of alien or something.--

"Oh, come on! No matter what he is, we can't trust him not to be under Yeerk control, or be peaceful. Those gems would make awful great war materials – instant soldier!"

--Prince Jake, he is awake,-- Ax said as heads turned to him, four human and one hawk, --I have given him the warning.--

"And his response?" Jake asked.

--Confusion, but oddly, no fear. He questioned what and who I am, then told me that he wasn't what I was looking for.--

Cassie nodded, saying, "See? He can't be a Controller – he didn't know what an Andalite is."

"Yeah, but he also wasn't scared. Just because the normal Controller screeches 'Aaaaaaaaaaaandalite!' at seeing us on the attack doesn't mean that they're dumb enough to reveal themselves when captured, Cass," Marco retorted with an eye-roll, crossing his arms and shifting his stance.

"Yeah, but you don't see Controllers running from giant, mechanical replicas of prehistoric lizards everyday either, Marco," Rachel acidly commented. They turned to Jake.

"Why is it always down to me?" he grumbled under his breath to no one in particular, then turned to Marco. "Did you bring some?"

"Yep," the latter replied, withdrawing a packet of maple and ginger flavored instant oatmeal from the drawstring bag he'd carried back and tossing to their de facto leader, "Always have a few handy in the house, just in case."

"Jake, you can't mean to–" Cassie piped up, alarmed.

--It's the only way to assure that he doesn't have a Yeerk in him without waiting out three days, Cassie.-- Tobias aimed two hard-staring raptor eyes at her; she averted her eyes, unable to meet his gaze.

"But if there's a Yeerk in him, it'll drive the Yeerk insane. It's like torture, forcing them to take a drug, not to mention that there's no getting it out of the host..." she murmured softly, words trailing off.

"If he's a Controller, he'll refuse," Jake said, placing a hand on Cassie's shoulder to comfort her, "We won't force it on him either way. There's more at stake here than usual – we need to get explanation for these." He took the still wanly shining red rock from his pocket, closing his fist around it.

* * *

"Hello, Dr. Oliver," Tobias stated coolly as he strode into the room, face devoid of expression even as his heart hammered in his chest at the situation. He'd been chosen to interrogate Dr. Oliver, being that he was a hawk now; Ax had difficulties with the instant oatmeal, unable to hold it as an Andalite with weak alien hands and unable to resist the temptation of eating it all in human morph. The hawk-boy's human body didn't cut an imposing figure and he was hardly best suited for the job in mentality, but the others all had Dr. Oliver's class; they'd be recognized for human, not Andalite. 

"Who are you?" asked the chained man, lifting his head to face the entrant.

"You're not in a position to ask questions," Tobias replied coldly, briefly taken aback by the fierce intensity of the stare meeting his own hawkish gaze. He set a bowl down on a table, steam rising and spoon protruding from it, and unchained the captive.

"You say you're not a Yeerk. Prove it. Taste the oatmeal," Tobias demanded, trying his hardest to make the command, a rather inane-sounding one, seem imposing in any way.

Tommy gave a short, half-nervous laugh at the words, concluding that he'd been abducted by some absolute lunatics with a freakish obsession for oatmeal – and from the looks of the contents of the bowl, oatmeal of the instant variety. The hard knock to the head would then explain away the alien. Now all he needed was the right opening, but until that came by, it'd be best to comply; people were capable of doing horrific things. He walked over, picked up the spoon, and took in a mouthful, shrugging as it did all of nothing aside from warming his insides as he swallowed.

"He's not a Controller," Cassie sighed softly, standing just outside the room.

"Maybe so, but he's still got a lot of explaining to do," Marco whispered back as he, Jake, and Cassie walked into view.

"You- you're the new kids – the ones in detention!" Dr. Oliver exclaimed. What with the mechanical dinosaur, the disappearance of the Dino Gems that he only now, with the immediate danger gone, registered to be of great concern, the alien hallucination, the abduction, the cult of oatmeal, and the sudden appearance of the teens he was supposed to be looking after, it was one of those days that even a veteran Power Ranger would call bizarre.

"Bingo," Jake said, approaching the wide-eyed teacher. He exchanged a look with Tobias; the latter left the room to demorph. He held out a red stone, and was about to ask what they were when Dr. Oliver interrupted.

"You're the ones who took those?"

"Yeah." Marco nodded after a second, startled. "Wanna explain why I can suddenly fight with my previously non-existent martial arts skill?" He held out his blue gem; Cassie held out her yellow.

"God... Um." Tommy shook his head, disbelieving of his foul luck. "Well, that means you're Power Rangers now."

Jake gaped with the eyes of an owl, Cassie's jaw dropped, unhinged, and Marco guffawed.

"Hahaha! P-p-power Rangers! Hahaha! Riiiiight," he laughed, then darkened and continued soberly, with a cynical tone, "We're nuttier than a jar full of almonds for reasons you can't imagine, Dr. O, but we're not THAT insane yet. You'll have to come up with something better."

"I'm serious, Marco," Dr. Oliver stated levelly, "You're Power Rangers, just like those you heard about in Angel Grove, Mariner Bay, and so forth. Like you said, you've gained powers you've never had before." He stared at the teens; both parties waited for the other to back down in stillness so absolute that Tobias's gentle fluttering outside could be heard.

Finally, Jake relented. "Okay, so we assume you're not a bad guy. How do these powers work? And why us, why now?"

"You're chosen because you took them – yellow traditionally means heart and spirit, blue means intellect and strategy, and red means determination and leadership." The trio exchanged a meaningful look; the descriptions were all too fitting. "Why you need them - there's danger ahead, and you'll see soon enough. You've already seen one of their effects – enhanced fighting skill. The gems have bonded to your DNA, and–"

"Whoa, wait a sec. DNA?" Marco asked, narrowing his eyes in worry, but didn't question further, only muttering the disquiet that all three teens felt.

"And you'll be able to morph into Power Rangers with these." Dr. Oliver rummaged around, pulled out a briefcase, and opened it, revealing three odd bracelets. "They're morphers."

As Jake, Marco, and Cassie fit the morphers on, Tommy folded his arms. "Now, I think you have some explaining to do yourselves. I'd ask why you're not as fazed by all of this as you should be, but what with today, I'm not surprised by your lack of shock. What was with the oatmeal, Yeerks, and Controllers? And that alien? You're not just normal teens, are you?" Hearing this, Ax and Rachel walked in, Tobias perched on the latter's shoulder. Jake hesitated, then figuring that the secret had already been irreversibly spilled – if Dr. Oliver became a host, all was lost from what he'd seen, so better to arm him with knowledge anyway – spoke up, somber voice and eyes carrying a weariness and gravity far beyond his age.

"The oatmeal was to test if you're a Controller or not – Yeerks lose sanity at the taste of it. As for what Yeerks are, they're parasitic, alien slugs that crawl into your brain through your ear canal and take over your body. And Ax over there is an Andalite, friendly aliens that are our last hope against the Yeerks, if they ever decide to come to our rescue. And us?" He gestured in a tired, decidedly ungrand sweep of the arms at the teens, bird, and alien, a faint, wry grin tugging at his lips.

"We're the Animorphs."


	3. The Acceptance

A/N: Things start shifting even more AU from here on out; had to change the ages to make the story more fitting. Events, characters and details on both sides will be altered and quite a few enemies omitted, partially to make things fit better, partially because I don't have the time to reread/rewatch very much of either series, and partially because I don't want to write hundreds of chapters.

The Mercora and the Nesk were just a little allusion to Megamorphs #2; they were extraterrestrials present on Earth that died out when the comet crashed.

**The Acceptance**

"...Ani-what?" Dr. Oliver quirked an eyebrow, Rangerhood experience tempering his response to the wild yarn he'd just been told.

"Animorphs. Idiot teenagers with a death wish, and may I emphasize those last two words," Marco said with a dry laugh, expression torn between a smirk and a grimace.

"Okay. Okay. So you're fighting against Yeerks, who're essentially brain-controlling slugs?"

"Yep," Rachel replied, a dangerous smile slowly spreading across her features as she continued, "Us six against an invasion. We've managed to be a hell of a thorn in their side, though."

"And how have you been fighting them, if they're a technologically advanced enough species to get here?"

--Like this.-- Before the stunned science teacher's eyes, the red-tailed hawk hopped from his perch on Rachel's shoulder to the ground. Gaze unbroken, it stared at his gaping eyes and dropped jaw as it gradually grew in size, feathers melding, melting as they receded into the skin, covered with a thin coat of fur. Wings shifted downward and legs, sideways, hoofs erupting from their tips as its beak softened and elongated. Soon thereafter, Tommy found himself facing a horse.

--Thanks to the Andalite morphing cube, we can morph into any animal we acquire – that we get the DNA from by touch. It's about guerrilla fighting, sneaking around, and running espionage with the right morphs,-- Tobias explained.

"I, uh, see."

"Good. Now if only everyone would respond like that, we'd be in the clear," Jake sighed, the tenseness in his shoulders falling away from him, leaving his stance slightly hunched over, as though there was some invisible burden upon his back, "Yeah, that's basically it."

"Um. Damn." Considering the situation, Tommy decided he could be no less lucky, because it seemed that either this group of Rangers had preexisting problems that would only compound with those coming, or he had gone completely insane.

"Yeah, yeah, exposition, whatever. Now tell me why the hell we should take up this extra responsibility that would make our lives suck even worse," Marco shot, glaring alternately between Jake and Dr. Oliver.

"Marco–" Cassie started, reaching out and touching his arm, but was interrupted by their teacher.

"Because it's the right thing to do. The world needs saving, and like it or not, you're the ones that have been chosen," Tommy simply replied; it had been his philosophy with Zordon's guidance, and it guided him still. However, it was only met with an eyeroll from Marco and a chuckle from Rachel.

"Chosen? Yeah, chosen. Chosen to fight – no guarantees of winning, and with lives on the line," Rachel remarked soberly, then with a characteristic smirk, added, "But the fight's enough, isn't it?"

"Rachel, don't be so horrible," Cassie pleaded, "He's...he's right, you know. Isn't that why we're all still in this? Why we're still fighting the Yeerks?"

"Ironic that you'd say that, Cassie, considering you're the one who hates the fight the most," Marco commented, the remark as idle in tone as it was biting in meaning.

--Marco, I do not think that is fair,-- Ax said, --Cassie only wants to do what is right. Furthermore, this man has access to startlingly advanced technology, beyond anything I'd seen humans have. With that kind of power, we could make a bigger impact.—

"Easy for you to say – you're not the one asked to handle it!"

Three increasingly raised voices and two in thoughtspeak filled the room with a chaotic clamor as Tommy looked on, unsure of what to do next. As Jake's attempts to bring the Animorphs back to some semblance of order failed, he threw his hands up and turned away, rubbing at his eyes, wishing he was anywhere else, doing anything else; the turmoil continued until a beeping disrupted them. Dr. Oliver moved over to the computers and checked the displays.

"I'm afraid I'll have to cut your infighting short, because there's a flying warship and a few uncontrolled zords on the loose out there, threatening innocent people. As much as you need to sort things out, the immediate question is if you're going to deal with that or not," he stated gravely. All eyes turned to Marco, the most vocal detractor.

"All right, all right, stop looking at me like I'm some kind of felon. I'm not with a sense of good and right, y'know," he grumbled, scowling.

"Okay, so what do we do, exactly?" asked Jake.

"It's almost instinctual, like the manifestation of your powers out of morph – simply let it happen."

Puzzled, the trio attempted to do as told and blank their minds, then concentrate, feeling rather like puppets as they went through the motions and simultaneously called, "Dino Thunder, Power Up!"

Finishing the transformation, the three stood in tight-fitting Ranger outfits of their respective colors as Rachel mouth dropped open, Tobias whinnied, and Ax gaped with four eyes.

--Amazing! I did not think humans had technology this advanced!-- Ax exclaimed, recovering the fastest.

--I don't think any of us did, Ax,-- Tobias said, demorphing. Rachel said nothing, shaking her head; it was one thing to hear Dr. Oliver say that her friends would be Power Rangers, another thing entirely to actually see them become the heroes that they'd occasionally heard about in the past.

"Well, this is...wow," Jake muttered after a moment.

"I'm awed by your powers of description, oh fearless leader," Marco scoffed, Jake's voice having shaken him out of his daze.

"So these are what we'll be fighting in?" Cassie asked, rubbing the thin material stretched over her arm dubiously, "It doesn't seem very strong..."

"Believe me, it is – you'll be able to survive explosions with them on."

"This stuff feels bizarre." Jake stated with thinly veiled disdain. He opened and closed a gloved hand, then took a few steps before stating almost incredulously, "It kinda looks and feels like spandex. We're going to be running around in spandex."

"Don't we do that already?" Marco pointed out; after all, skin-tight clothing was all they could morph in if they wanted emerge from demorphing as anything but naked.

"Yeah, but a cycling outfit is just tacky. This is something else."

--How are you breathing in that? The airflow should not be adequate for human needs.—Ax's eyes glittered with intrigue as they scanned the now-morphed Rangers.

"I dunno. How are we breathing in these?" The trio turned to Dr. Oliver, who had been up to that point merely smiling in satisfaction – at least one part of the plan had turned out right.

"Tell you the truth, I'm not sure, either. The morphers were the only things designed by us to tap into the power of the gems. Everything else about them is alien – best guess is that they came from a comet that crashed sixty-five million years ago," he explained.

"Hey, do you think it might be Mercoran or Nesk?" Rachel inquired of no one in particular. Dr. Oliver stopped in his showing the Rangers where to go and stared at her, puzzled.

"What?"

"Nothing, nevermind," she hurriedly replied, "We've got more pressing things to think about."

"You're right, and while they go take care of business, why don't one of you start explaining about the aliens, from the beginning?" Tommy folded his arms.

"All right, I guess you're owed an explanation. Ax, Rachel, come with us – you might be able to help out. Tobias, could you stay here and fill Dr. O in?" Tobias gave an apprehensive bob of the head as the other Animorphs rushed out, taking up the responsibilities of Rangerdom for the first time.


	4. The Machines

I'd be grateful if any errors concerning the PR monsters and whatnot (and Animorphs aliens, for that matter) are excused, because I really don't have time to dig up references on both...

And yes, Animorphs is confirmed by K.A. to take place somewhere in (southern) CA. Don't ask me how that's possible – that's just what book fifty-four said, and is thus canon.

**The Machines**

Rachel and Ax had just flown off to scout the nearby area, the group having up until then been unsuccessful at finding the enemy, when three towering walls of a reptile came into view.

"Damn." Jake stared up at the abominations stomping around Reefside – at once dinosaur and machinery, along with a strange, menacing warship hovering around, and shook his head wearily.

"Couldn't say no – we just couldn't say no to more weird crap, huh?" Marco grumbled, "How the heck are we supposed to do anything about that?"

_"__Those are the Biozords, __mechanical__, but modeled with__ dinosaur DNA. You__'__ll have to tame them,__"_ came Dr. Oliver's voice. The trio looked around quizzically for the source for a moment before realizing it originated from their morphers.

"How do we do that?" Cassie asked; there was no response.

"Great," muttered Jake, "Just great. Anyone got any bright ideas? Or ideas, period, before these things wreck the city?"

"Wait – he said they had dinosaur DNA, right?" Marco rubbed his chin, plan formulating in his mind. "They can't be just wires and metal. Maybe we can acquire them?"

"Put them into an acquiring trance!" Cassie exclaimed, "That might let us tame them somehow."

"Crazy, but for now, it's all we've got. We'll need aerial morphs to get close," Jake directed after a pause in consideration, powering down, then morphing peregrine falcon; Marco and Cassie followed suit, both choosing osprey. The three birds of prey took flight, each diving and swerving to dodge the dangerous movements of the rampaging zords in seeking out their respective reptilian targets. Upon landing on them, they demorphed and, clinging on, focused on acquiring the mechanical beasts. The zords calmed, their stampeding ceased as they fell under the haze of acquisition, but the teens quickly realized that what was happening was not typical as they felt their minds almost meld momentarily with that of the Biozords' spirits. In seconds, the process concluded, and they found themselves on top of their now brightly colored mecha, halted in movement as though awaiting command.

"I sense a theme going here – might just have something to do with colors," Marco muttered with a roll of his eyes.

"They've stopped," Jake remarked, with Marco directing his eyeroll at the former, about to open his mouth for a snide jab when Cassie interrupted.

"I'm guessing we have to be in morph to control them, and we'll need them to take care of that flying ship-thing."

"Right, well–"

Jake was cut off by a streak of crimson flashing across the sky, followed an explosion of considerable magnitude from above, setting a nearby building aflame as black smoke clouded the sky as in a volcanic eruption. Tiny pieces of mangled, charred metal and other assorted shrapnel pelted down, slicing into skin like papercuts.

"Morph insects, hurry!" he shouted, crying out in pain when a larger, sharp shard embedded itself into his arm, popping out as his skin hardened somewhat. Jake swayed with vertigo for a split second as his eyes gained compound vision before his brain changed to compensate, finishing his transformation to housefly, having decided that the hassle of a paranoid cockroach brain wasn't worth the added protection of rapidity in scurrying.

-- That was a dracon beam, wasn't it? -- Cassie grimly asked as she hovered into view, having seen the sight far too often.

-- Yeah, it was. They're here. --

* * *

Tobias watched as Dr. Oliver collapsed into a chair, hand over his forehead as though exhausted, and felt pity for the man – if he was to be trusted, it seemed they weren't the only ones who had a hidden burden of world-saving to carry. He kept a wary eye on the teacher, however; in a world where a single slip-up could result in death or worse, infestation, Tobias wasn't keen on taking any risks.

"So, go ahead already. What's this all about?"

Bobbing his head as he demorphed, Tobias replied, -- Jake's already given you the basic gist of things. What else do you need to know? --

"Well, how about we start at the beginning?"

The hawk focused his eyes on Dr. Oliver, appraising, before he responded, -- About two years ago, my friends and I found a crashed spaceship in an abandoned lot. At the site, we met Elfangor, an Andalite prince – a war hero – who had been fighting the Yeerks. He gave us the power to morph into animals through their technology, and we've been fighting the invasion ever since. --

"The invasion – tell me about that."

-- The Yeerks came to Earth, having successfully invaded a few other species first – the Gedd, the Taxxons, and the Hork-Bajir, among possible others. You won't want to see the last two, because that means you're in pretty big danger. They found our species to be good for invading, since there are a lot of us, and we're versatile – y'know, having hands with opposable thumbs and all, so now they're infiltrating human society. That's the scary part. You can't tell who's a Controller and who isn't. Anyone could be a host. They're able to access every bit of the brain, including the memories, so they know exactly how to impersonate people. --

"And where is this taking place? Here?"

-- We don't know. There's no way to tell for sure if Visser Three – the bad guy in charge – commands the only cell, or if this goes nationwide, or worldwide. -- If he was human, he'd have chuckled wryly; Dr. Oliver's visible disbelief and overwhelmed expression struck him as amusing – it'd been so long since he'd stopped to think about the possible scale of what they were dealing with.

_"__How the heck are we supposed to do anything about that?__"_ Marco's voice came over the com system, startling Tobias into a small, fluttering hop; he only then noticed that there'd been background chatter coming from displays showing the enemies.

"Those are the Biozords, mechanical, but harboring dinosaur DNA. You'll have to tame them," Dr. Oliver called out. Suddenly, the display flickered, then dissolved into static.

-- What the – what's going on? -- Tobias worriedly asked.

"It's – it's interference, but I'm not sure from what. Maybe that ship from earlier. I don't think it's anything major, though, and they do have two kinds of power – I think they'll be fine," Dr. Oliver replied, a look of concern crossing his face despite his words. As he saw the red-tail make ready to leave, he added, "Besides, that girl – Rachel? – and your alien friend went with them. If something went wrong, they'd contact us, wouldn't they?"

-- Yeah, I guess, -- Tobias hesitantly conceded, returning to his spot on the shelves.

"So, keep going. What have you been doing against the Yeerks?"

-- Sabotaging them any way we can, really. Guerrilla warfare – attacking the Yeerk pool, stopping them on their attempts to get more influential people, that kind of thing. --

"Have you told anyone else about this?"

-- No. --

"Why not? Why haven't you contacted the authorities?"

-- Because there's a good chance they've infiltrated the authorities, and we'd end up Controllers. In fact, we know they've got at least some of the police and media, -- Tobias soberly answered. -- Besides, if you weren't involved in some weird stuff yourself, would you believe us? And even if you did, would others believe you? --

Tommy opened his mouth to respond, but recalling his own shrouded past as a Ranger, fell silent.

-- Y'know, this has been a very one-sided reveal. What about you? What's all this stuff, and who're they fighting against? --

"I told you most of what I know. Recently, some monsters have been popping up, and I'm fairly sure they're out to carry out some insane plot by some enemy, because they've been showing up around in places I've been investigating," came the response with a shrug.

-- That's not very specific, -- Tobias commented, swiveling his head to meet the teacher's eyes.

"You'll find out soon enough – it'd probably be more convenient if everyone was present, anyway. I'd detail more, but sometimes, one's better off not knowing everything."

-- Tell me about it. -- In the hawkish gaze glimmered a wry cynicism.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, yeah, some factual mangling, and the acquiring thing was a bit out there, but hey, I have to make do, and... you'll see. 


	5. The Expansion

YAYZ! There's another Animorphs/PR cross-over in the archives! Yours truly is hopping about madly with joy out of love of Animorphs.

BTW, not that you care, but the plot has been pretty much solidified since the second chapter. Monsters of the day will be used at random, and care will not be taken to insure utter accuracy. Zeltrax will show up, but...hmm. Can't give away too much. I will say, though, that the ending might not please, and this story will be quite long.

**The Expansion**

"We are not telling him about all of that," Marco crossed his arms, standing rigidly, the gem in the bracelet casting a faint glow at being activated oddly in the morphing processes when he changed back from the fly.

"You've seen the power of the technology he has! If the Yeerks are really here, why shouldn't we?" Cassie questioned.

"Because that enemy he sent us after was easily taken down by a dracon beam, Cass. And not just taken down – blown to itty bitty pieces! Get his righteousness involved, and we'll probably all be taking even more suicidal missions than we already are!" At this, both turned their eyes to Jake.

"What? What're you looking at me for?" Shrugging under the intense gazes directed at him, he hated nothing more than his own sense of responsibility at that moment.

"We're waiting on your call, fearless leader. What's the decision?" Marco queried, staring pointedly at Jake, who turned imploringly to Cassie.

"I know how much you want to put this in an adult's hands, Cassie, but Marco's right. Even the power he's given us is probably no match for what the Yeerks have, if he was in any way worried about that ship. Besides, we can't afford to trust that lightly. We'll tell him after we can be sure of what his intents are and run some surveillance around the area," he replied, a strange twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach at Cassie's dejected expression, "Let's head back. It's dark out."

* * *

-- This is stupid, -- Rachel griped for the fifth time, having made as many circles around the outskirts of Reefside, -- I bet they've already taken care of it or something. There's nothing here! I could SO be doing something more useful right now, like fighting Yeerks, or shopping. -- 

-- It is good to know that you prioritize fighting and shopping over ensuring the safety of the city, Rachel, -- Ax commented, weaving around her.

-- Was that sarcasm? --

-- Perhaps. –-

-- You've been around us humans too long, Ax. --

The two great horned owls rose up in the air in a not-uncomfortable silence, catching and riding a favorable thermal in their futile scouting endeavor. As she peered over the land distant below her, which had begun to look like a flurry of vaguely recognizable squares and rectangles, a domed structure drew her attention. The structure itself was innocent enough – a convocation center, as she recalled from having had a sort of walkabout with her mother; what aroused her suspicions were the little figures headed into it.

-- Hey, Ax. Doesn't that seem a little weird? I mean, that that many people are headed to a center for meeting this late? --

-- That does seem out of the ordinary. Shall we investigate? --

-- Absolutely, -- Rachel replied, enthused with having something to do, falling into a slow dive towards the nearby park, one of the few foliage-covered patches in Reefside itself, -- You've got my back, right? --

-- Of course. -- The other of the two owls pulled up, remaining in flight over the area.

Demorphing, Rachel jogged over to the center, not wanting any trouble in the dimness between dusk and night. People – mostly teenagers, but some adults and children as well, comprised a steady stream into the construct, its interior radiating light in a faint glow. She'd approached, joining the intermittent line flowing into the building when she felt a hand close around her shoulder.

"Hi, Rachel. How is everything?" She turned to face the speaker, and was confronted with an all too familiar visage.

"Tom? What- What are you doing here?" Rachel sputtered, heart pounding in foreboding at what had to be ill tidings to come.

"The Sharing wanted to open a new branch here in Reefside, and I was chosen to spearhead the move," he responded with an unassuming smile, behind which hid the malice of a parasitic slug. "You really should join, you know, all of your friends, too. I can't figure out why Jake won't – it's a great organization."

_Yeah, great __in a terrible way_, she thought, but forced a grin. "I might think about it. Bet Jake's in that rebellious phase, huh?"

"Yeah, probably," Tom laughed, "Probably. Well, I've gotta head in – maybe I'll see you sometime?"

"Maybe," she replied, turning quickly away to conceal the unsuppressed grimace spreading over her features, unable to repress her shock and hatred any longer. Once back in the wooded area, she remorphed the great horned owl and took to the night sky.

-- What did you discover? --

-- Trouble. They're in Reefside, and Tom's their leader. --

* * *

Tobias fluttered up and shifted again, not being able to find a perch that didn't sit awkwardly in his talons or have piece of bone or rock stabbing into his side like a particularly offensive branch when he settled down. The silence in the room was deafening as both occupants awaited the return of the quintet; after the mutual, if unequal exposition of their stories, no other topics of conversation arose. 

Finally, Dr. Oliver broke the silence. "Mind if I ask a more personal question?"

-- Go ahead, though I'm not promising an answer. --

"What are you, exactly? I can accept that those teenagers can morph, and with that, the alien, but how are you a sentient hawk that changes into other animals?"

Tobias fixed his eyes on Dr. Oliver, the hard glare of the hawk veiling the human beneath as he paused, considering whether to divulge the information to someone who was still essentially a stranger. He shouldn't – his condition proved a trump card for the Animorphs many a time before – yet he found himself stricken by the urge to confide his secret to someone other than the Animorphs, to discuss it with someone other than his teammates, something he hadn't been able to do in two years. Compounded with the inexplicable trustworthiness that Dr. Oliver emanated, it compelled him to answer. Concentrating on who he had been, he morphed into his human self, the feathers replaced by fair-complexioned skin and a mop of dirty blond hair, the hawk's fierce eyes now veiled behind the human ones that have largely forgotten how to show emotion.

"I was human once, back before all of this started," he began, voice somber and low, as though afraid something diaphanous would be damaged, "An orphan who was shuffled from aunts to uncles, didn't really have family ties. Got bullied a lot because I didn't stay in any one place much, and was pretty quiet and shy. So I was an outcast - at least, until Jake sorta became my friend. Met under embarrassing circumstances, what with my head in the toilet and him chasing off the bullies." He laughed – a hollow sound, from not having the ability to as a hawk or out of bitter recollection, or both – then fell quiet.

"You don't have to tell me if it's not comfortable for you," Tommy murmured, taken aback by the story.

"It wasn't that strong of a friendship," Tobias continued, not hearing what the teacher had said, "I tagged along with a mild case of hero-worship, and he kinda just let me, and it wasn't long before we happened on the wreck." Here, he paused in contemplation. "I...don't know if we would have still been – if he would have kept being my friend if not for that, really. But that changed everything. I'd never felt so strongly about anything before, and I was the one who pushed everyone else into this and made Jake our leader. He wouldn't admit it, but I think he holds it against me, because every now and then, I see this anger in his eyes when he looks at me." Tobias's lips smiled vacantly without his mind willing it as he shook his head. "Why am I telling you all of this? I've only known you for a few hours."

"It's part of my natural abilities," Tommy chuckled, then said seriously, "Sometimes, it's just good to get things off your chest."

"...Yeah."

"...So – and feel free not to answer – why are you a hawk now?" Dr. Oliver asked, voice soft in fear of shattering that same fragile thing.

"There's a two hour time limit on morphs. Pass that limit, and you're stuck in morph forever. I passed that limit on our first real mission. The only reason I'm still able to morph is because of weird outside influences."

"Oh." Tommy wanted to say something to fill the awkward silence, but his mind was as blank as the stillness in the air.

"It's not bad. I like life as a hawk more than life as a person." Seeing that Dr. Oliver was still very much unconvinced, in spite of himself, he confided, "Though they probably suspect as much, don't tell the others. I'd never admit it to them, but that day, with the time winding down, I didn't try that hard to get out before the limit. Part of me didn't want to be human any more, wanted to stay a hawk. I guess in some ways, it's almost like part of Tobias the human committed suicide that day." After a discomfiting silence, he murmured, "I...I'm sorry, Dr. Oliver. I've said too much. It's been too long since I've talked about it with anyone."

Tommy opened his mouth to answer that he didn't mind when an unnatural flock of owls landed in the room, cutting him off.

-- We're back. --

* * *

A/N: Initial setup will largely conclude in the next chapter, and things should pick up then. Sorry about the Tobias-centricity of the chapter, but poor Tobias – he's got to be one of the most angsty teenaged protagonists ever. It does have a minor purpose. Oh, and if you're reading, Marcus S. Lazarus, any questions I didn't answer is to be unveiled as the story progresses. Can't be giving that away now, can I? 

I wonder where y'all think this story is going; I don't think anyone could guess. XD Speculation would make me happy, though!


	6. The Apprehension

To preclude any possible confusion, the Escafil device is the morphing cube.

**The Apprehension**

Demorphing from owl, Marco hopped into a sitting position on a table, hitting its surface with a loud thud that pronounced his objections to the situation that had unfolded, and was yet unfolding. Cassie moved a distance away to a corner, where she stood quietly, nigh immobile. Neither would meet Tommy's eyes. Jake, however, fixed a steely, intense gaze on Dr. Oliver, one that strikingly commanded respect, much to the latter's surprise; Tommy could hardly have expected to feel something not unlike intimidation for someone almost a decade his junior.

"They're here."

The former Ranger shook his head with incomprehension before his heart stopped briefly with recognition.

"Th-the aliens? Yeerks?" He ran a hand through his hair, clutching a fistful in disbelief before laughing, a sound tinged with desperate hope, "This is some kind of insane joke, isn't it?"

Jake opened his mouth, but could find nothing to say before managing a decidedly softer, almost pitying tone in murmuring, "I'm sorry." Leaning back and letting the wall catch him, the leader of the Animorphs pressed a hand to his temples, weariness showing in his slumped countenance.

"Shit..." Tommy muttered through clenched teeth, having sought deception in Jake's eyes and having found none.

"Not that I'm not sorry about the whole Reefside business," Marco said with a hard, sidelong glance at Cassie, "But there's still the matter of having WAY too much responsibility here."

-- Marco, now that the Yeerks are here, too, don't you think that it's only right? That if we fight in our hometown, we fight here?-- Tobias asked, fluttering to his side and staring at the Hispanic boy.

"Yeah, yeah, good morals and fair and stuff, but you know what? We're already worn down handling just the Yeerks in JUST our hometown. Add another enemy, and –"

"But we have new powers, too," Cassie interrupted, "And they're pretty strong. Besides, wouldn't you feel guilty if we just let it alone, Marco?"

"You know, it still surprises me how pacifistic Miss Morals is advocating taking up another fight," Marco retorted acidly, wincing inwardly at the jab at his own sense of right that hit too close to home, and had every intention of continuing until Jake walked up to him.

"Marco, shut up. Now." The weight of Jake's tone silenced Marco; the former was angry, and as Jake's best friend through most of their years, Marco knew well enough to back off at the sound of dangerous, low voice. Expecting a short, serious speech as usually following such a heavy reprimand, he was 

stunned wordless to find Jake's grip on his shoulder. "I know how you feel, okay? And there's nothing wrong with it."

"...Yeah," Marco mumbled, uncharacteristically quietly, expressing his quiet gratitude.

"Now, there's still a chance we're overreacting. The beam looked like a Kandrona, but with that large ship we saw, who knows?" At this, all eyes turned to Dr. Oliver expectantly.

"I...don't know. I'm not sure of the enemy's capabilities," the teacher responded, the lingering effects of shock slowing his words, "But I don't think they'd shoot down their own ship, and I'm not aware of any others who have that kind of ability."

-- Guys! -- came an urgent thoughtspeak call, -- The Sharing's made its way to Reefside! --

"Already?" Cassie asked, "They're already that established here?"

-- There's worse news, -- Rachel said before finishing the process of demorphing and switching into spoken word, "Tom is their leader."

"What?" chorused Marco, Cassie, and Tobias; Jake, meanwhile, silently stared at the floor before slamming a fist into the wall.

"Who's Tom?" inquired Dr. Oliver after a moment of awkward silence.

"Tom's my brother," came Jake's low reply.

-- Prince Jake, are you - --

"I'm fine, Ax," the boy in question snapped, resulting in another uncomfortable stillness as all present looked at him with concern. He fought and won the battle for composure, stating, "I'll be fine. I have to be, to help him."

"Jake..." Cassie approached him cautiously, and seeing the tiredness in his eyes, pressed her hand in his, squeezing lightly, to which he smiled wanly in return.

"Look, I know something huge has just happened, but I need to have some time to think it over by myself, because all of it is a barely coherent mess in my mind right now, and you need to get home before your parents get suspicious," Tommy finally said, "It's getting really late, and I bet your parents are already wondering where you are. Meet with me whenever its convenient tomorrow, and we'll go from there, okay?"

"All right, but we need to keep you under surveillance, not just because we're suspicious – we need to keep you safe, too," Jake stated, "Tobias, Ax?"

-- Sure, I'll hang around for a while, -- Tobias replied, -- Nice area, and plenty of mice. That okay with you, Dr. Oliver? --

"Don't think I have a choice, if you can morph into insects," Tommy sighed with a wry smirk, "I understand why it's necessary."

"You know, I think it might be a good idea to give Dr. Oliver morphing power. He's going to need it, even if he can defend himself, what with there probably being loads of well-armed Yeerks around and all," Marco spoke up, thoughtfully.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with gorilla boy," Rachel added, "Besides, he already knows everything, right? Past the three day limit, and we ought to give him some way of hiding if he needs to."

"That's more than fine by me. I don't particularly want to get caught and infested," Tommy said, consenting.

After consideration, the de facto leader of the Animorphs nodded. "All right. If nothing goes wrong in the next two days, we'll grab the morphing cube and give you the ability to morph."

* * *

"In the pipe, in the pipe...Gotcha!" Rachel exclaimed; she'd volunteered with thinly veiled jealousy to take the Escafil device to Dr. Oliver so that Jake and Cassie could go on a date, what with Marco needing to make up homework so as not to fail the marking period, and Tobias helping Ax with an Andalite warrior ritual. She quickly stashed the Lego-like blue cube her oversized handbag and proceeded towards the car which she'd newly been allowed to drive alone. She'd agreed to get to Dr. Oliver's through the passage in the woods as a precaution, and so parked in the museum parking lot.

As Rachel made her way to the tree line, however, a horde of odd monsters appeared seemingly from thin air; after a sudden, strong punch to the stomach, her consciousness slipped away as they harshly bound her arms behind her. The next thing her mind registered, aside from being strapped down to a table and its cold steel against her skin, was a raspy, taunting voice, dripping with malice.

"Waking up, are we?"

Her eyes fluttered open, then widened at the monstrous face, yellow-white like a decaying skull, inches from her. Biting her lip, she fought the urge to scream as she struggled futilely against the restraints.

"Who the hell are you, and what do you want with me?" she finally asked with forced bravado, giving up on escaping.

"You're not in a position to ask questions," the monster laughed, "But there's no harm. My name is Mesogog, and you – you're one of them, aren't you? A Power Ranger." The last words were spat out as though revolting.

"Power Ranger? What are you talking about? I'm not a Power Ranger – if I was, I'd kick your ass."

"Such insolence," Mesogog hissed, and with a swipe of the hand sliced into Rachel's cheek, "But you know, there's no point in lying. I tracked your morphing energy to where you were, after all."

"Assuming I was a Power Ranger, why would I be in morph while driving around, genius?" Rachel said with an arrogant smirk to mask the wince of pain as blood ran down her face.

"Fool!" A claw clamped under her chin, piercing into the skin before releasing its grip as Mesogog strode away, calling back, "'I'd deal with you right now, but I have other matters to attend to. It doesn't matter. You won't escape."

"Shows what you know, moron," Rachel muttered, focusing her mind on the fly as soon as the monster's sound of the monsters footsteps faded. Shrinking, she wiggled her way out of the restraints, then demorphed, needing better vision to find an escape, and more importantly, the Escafil device.

Wandering the hallways, she heard Mesogog's voice, along with that of a woman and a man.

"To think that some other enemy would dare shoot down one of my ships!"

"I do wonder who they are, though."

"Who they are doesn't matter as much as getting rid of them, if they are an obstacle."

Not wanting to risk being discovered, Rachel slunk away as they continued talking, carrying on in her search for the Escafil device. Soon enough, she happened upon a room with various odd objects, including the cube, still within the bag. As she made to leave, however, a gleam of déjà vu drew her attention; on a pedestal glimmered a white stone just like the Dino Gems.

"Can't leave that here," Rachel muttered after a moment's deliberation. As soon as her hand closed around it, pain seized her head as a vise; it felt as though some other force or entity was attempting to assert dominance of her body. She fought against it, launching her will against its force. Just as suddenly, however, the assault ceased, leaving her perplexed. Grimacing at the notion of having gone insane, she shoved the thought aside, remembering the urgency in having to get out. Making her way to what seemed to be a control room, she pressed a few buttons before one pulled her into a sort of vortex; the blurry maelstrom unceremoniously dumped her a short distance from the museum parking lot.

"Rachel! Where have you been?" a voice called – Dr. Oliver, worried, had gone to the parking lot.

"In the enemy's lair, where I found this," she said, holding up her arm to reveal the morpher on her wrist.

* * *

A/N: YEYZ, another fic updated! 'Grats to whomever it was in the reviews who guessed that Rachel would be my choice for White, though I guess it might be a rather obvious choice, haha... If the story feels a bit rushed, it's because I do want to finish, but to execute it at the best of my writing ability would take too long; I'm trying my best, though. Hope the end result is worth reading.

I feel as though I have to put a warning, though. From here on, things are going to get pretty intense, and it's going to be grim and gritty. Wars involve hideous amounts of bloodshed, and if you've read any of my other serious fics, you know that I don't sugar-coat. Expect a degree of darkness.


	7. The Development

The darkness of the story begins to seep in past this chapter. Viewer discretion is advised. Also, monsters sent out by Mesogog will not be the exact monsters from the show – it just wouldn't work with the gravity of the plot. This one, however, is vaguely based on the Polinator.

**The Development**

"That's the...that's the White Dino Gem and the Drago Morpher." Dr. Oliver stared wide-eyed at the unforeseen development. "You found that in Mesogog's hideout?"

"Yep. He thought I was a Power Ranger for some reason – and 'cause of him, I guess he's right," Rachel replied with a smirk, balling her hand into a fist. A spark of energy shimmered along her arm before dissipated across her body; the gem glittered with an odd fire. "Haha, can't wait to try pummeling some monsters with this thing!"

"Rachel, a Power Ranger shouldn't think like – " the ranger mentor chided with alarm at the almost malicious flash in the newest team member's eyes, but was interrupted by a sudden call. "Hello?"

"Dr. Oliver, there's a – a really strong monster. And we could really, really use some guidance here!"

"As in _we-are-gettin- our-butts-kicked-help!_" a second voice yelled through the receiver, followed by a third voice shouting more distantly, "AH! Jeez, Marco! Pay attention!"

Hearing the commotion, Rachel's mouth curved into smile that sent shivers down the veteran Ranger's spine. "Looks like I'll be getting my chance sooner than I thought. Time to kick some ass." Before Dr. Oliver could protest, she flipped open the lid on the Drago Morpher.

"White Ranger, Dino Power!" Suddenly, Tommy was staring not at his blonde-haired, valley girl student with a cold grin, but at an imposing red visor in the shape of an X.

"Rachel, wait. You've got to understand that this power isn't something to toy around with," he started, voice rife with concern.

"Dr. Oliver, no offense, but you have no idea the kind of crap we've been through, even if you know about the war we're in. Power and responsibility, yeah, I know," she cut in impatiently, "If you hadn't noticed, though, the others kinda don't have time for a lecture right now." Turning away, she opened communications with Jake, Marco, and Cassie. "Hey, where are you guys?"

"Rachel? Is that you? What-?" An explosion rang thundered in her ears, followed by groans of pain.

"Just tell me where the heck you are!"

"The TV station! Jake, move!" Cassie's voice called, panic evident.

"Get in the car," Dr. Oliver begrudgingly commanded, not liking the idea of letting Rachel head out in her mindframe, but not having much of a choice – he couldn't afford to endanger the trio's lives. A blur materialized as the newest Ranger in the passenger's seat, and even through the suit, Tommy felt a certain unsettling aura emanating from her. Shaking it off – there were more pressing matters at the moment – he floored the accelerator and headed off in the direction of Channel Three TV station.

* * *

"Cassie, watch your back! He's behind you!" Marco screamed, after dodging an energy blast from his left side, a distance away from the Yellow Ranger.

"Huh? Ah!" Doing a rolling dodge, she narrowly missed a flailing tentacle, frantically slashing at and missing it with her Ptera Grips as she jumped back to her feet.

"Damn, this thing can teleport! What the heck are we supposed to do?" Jake said as he fired a blast from his Tyrano Staff, managing to connect but not deal a damaging enough blow. Moments later, dashing over and knocking Marco out of the way of the monster's grip, he felt his face connect with the concrete, a tentacle wrapping around his neck, crushing his larynx.

"Not one more shot out of any of you, or this one gets it!" the monster laughed, freezing Marco and Cassie in their tracks as Jake's form went still.

"TSEEEEEEEER!" A sudden, diving shadow swooped down, striking the monster hard on the head, dazing it; it released Jake, who crumpled onto the ground and was quickly retrieved by a flash of white. The monster gazed around confused before small explosions suddenly rake across its chest, sending it reeling on its knees.

"...R-Rachel?" Cassie asked hesitantly of the newcomer, who nodded in response, then dashed towards the fallen monster, dragging it up and holding the Drago Sword across its body.

"You're an ugly piece of crap, you know that?" she remarked with a derisive chuckle. Meanwhile, Marco helped the now conscious Jake to his feet. She turned to the three, now gathered, tipping her head towards the monster. "Feel free to finish him off at your leisure."

"But what about you?" Cassie asked, worried, just as Marco simultaneously blurted, "How the heck did you become a Ranger?"

"No time for that," Jake snapped, "He's going to teleport if we don't finish him off now." He brandished the Tyranno Staff, as did Marco and Cassie their weapons, and combined them to form the Z-Rex Blaster. "You better know what you're doing, Rach," he muttered gravely, firing the cannon directly at the monster's chest, disintegrating it in a massive explosion. As the dust settled and the smoke dispersed, they stared bewildered at the unharmed White Dino Ranger, the sound of Rachel's soft, cool laugh hanging in the air.

"Isn't this awesome?" she inquired of no one in particular, a smirk visible in her tone, "I'm a freakin' Power Ranger."

-- Jeez. I'm starting to feel a little left out, over here... -- thoughtspoke Tobias, circling overhead, breaking the silence that had settled over the Rangers.

"Rachel..." Jake started, a stern anger in his stride as he strode up to her, gripping her suit, "That was a damned stupid stunt you pulled. What would we have done if you got hurt in the explosion?"

"That's the thanks I get for saving your ass?" came the incredulous retort, "I knew what I was doing, Jake!"

"Putting yourself in the line of fire!"

"Making sure that bastard didn't teleport off!"

"Guys! Guys!" Marco rushed in between the arguing cousins and shoving them apart, seeing the conflict nearing fisticuffs. "I hate to get involved in family matters, but you – both of you –" he stared pointedly at Jake, "Need to calm down right now."

"Yeah, because this isn't over!" Cassie shouted, pointing at the ignored remnants of the monster which was quickly growing in mass.

"The hell?" Marco yelped, jumping back with the Jake and Rachel in tow.

"Old tradition," Dr. Oliver called from his jeep, speeding by before halting sharply a safe distance away, "They tend to grow huge. You're going to have to summon the Zords. But don't worry – this is usually the easy part."

-- You have a crazy definition of 'easy', Dr. O, -- Tobias muttered as he landed on the frame of the jeep, watching the Rangers summon their respective mecha.

"You'll see. It won't take longer than a few minutes."

* * *

Sure enough, a few well placed blasts later, and the monster fell once more, this time with permanence, though the zords did take damage in the process. As the Rangers walked toward them, Tommy could feel the onset of a headache pounding in his temples as the arguments grew louder and closer.

"Jake, I know how strong this thing is."

"Not an excuse, Rachel. We can't take any unnecessary risks."

"How was that unnecessary?"

"The part where you could've been blown to bits hints there _might_ have been a better solution."

"But Rachel's right – the monster probably would've teleported away too fast if she didn't hold him there."

"See? Someone gets it. Thanks, Cass."

"Whatever," Jake said, still unsettled about how rashly Rachel behaved in that battle, but dismissing it as nothing more than an extension of her usual recklessness, "Just don't do that again. I'm worried, okay?"

"...Yeah, I know," Rachel replied quietly, calming as she unmorphed, "Thanks."

"Hey, where's Ax?" Marco piped up, suddenly aware of the absence of one of their group.

-- He's investigating something – we found a body in a cave in the forest, -- murmured Tobias morosely, -- She had a chip of some kind with her. Looked really high tech. --

"She?" Tommy asked, stomach convulsing as he realized that in the flurry of events that had happened in the past few days, he hadn't checked up on Hayley, who he hadn't seen in days. Wild-eyed, he slammed the frame of the jeep, sending an alarmed Tobias flying. "No, it can't be..." he whispered, dread constricting his chest. He turned to the red-tailed hawk, fear etched in every line on his face and voice low, intense. "Take me to her. Now."

* * *

A/N: I'm slowly, slowly working through my old fics. At the moment, I can't stand leaving them dangling. We'll see how far that goes. I skipped the Zord battle I had meant to elaborate on because... there's too much to the story, and it's moving too slow, considering it's a fanfic.


End file.
